coffee break
by quasi una fantasia
Summary: "Just be yourself. That's all you ever need and have to do." — no pairing. AU.


**coffee break**

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Noctis blinked sleepily at the white ceiling. He was sprawling on the bed, clad in a white t-shirt and a pair of boxers, in his cool bedroom.

It was that brief moment after waking up from sleep; where the mind was still blissfully empty and thousands of thoughts hadn't sprouted to fill the head yet, and reality could wait just a little bit longer. He embraced that luxurious moment. He closed his eyes and buried his shoulder into the cool bed sheets; lazing around a bit more.

The sound of hustle and bustle outside got louder as time went by. White curtains fluttered softly and sunlight streamed into the room; its bright rays hitting his face and bringing the moment to an end.

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. Reluctantly, he got up from the bed and put his feet on the wooden floor. His gaze wandered, catching sight of the digital clock on the bedside table. For some reason, he was transfixed by the red numbers and letters. 8:33 – SUN – 4/1.

So it was a Sunday morning in April.

_April… _

Wait.

_April?_

His brows shot upward as it finally dawned on him. It was April _already_, which meant that his birthday was… in a month.

He stared at the fluttering white curtains as inside his mind a seed of thought fed life to others; these threads of thought—comprising the present, the future, and the past—woven themselves into a negative shirt around his body, and suddenly the brand new day felt like the end of the world.

_… Fucking thoughts._

He exhaled loudly, running a hand through his messy black hair. Swiftly, he stood up from the bed, walked past the desk—that was filled with scattered papers and piles of thick books—and out of the bedroom.

The hallway was silent. He went to the living room downstairs, and found all of his housemates there.

On the couch there was Stella and Lightning; the former was reading a fashion magazine while the latter had her attention fixed on the TV screen; so did Prompto and Gladiolus who were sitting on the carpeted floor, eating corn and chocolate cereal. And lastly there was Ignis; currently reading a book in his favorite armchair by the window, a little far from the other four.

Noctis sauntered over to them, sat in between Stella and Lightning, and joined to watch the TV in silence.

They were watching a cooking show. The host was a busty blonde female celebrity chef who had a foreign accent in her speech. He didn't need to look to know that Prompto and Gladiolus were definitely focusing their attention on the host's _assets_. Lightning, who couldn't cook to save her life, was looking quite attentive.

The clock above the TV struck eight forty.

"Guys," he finally broke the long silence. He shared the thought that had taken root inside his head seven minutes ago. "I'm turning twenty next month."

The announcement was met brief silence as all eyes fell on him. Then,

"Holy shit! You're turning twenty?" Prompto exclaimed, grinning goofily. "Man, we're definitely going to have an awesome party! I'll invite all the hot girls we know. You bet this is going to be the party of the year, Noct!"

Gladiolus, the oldest of them all, spoke more calmly. "Easy dude. It's not that bad, really. Trust your bro here." He pointed a thumb to his chest, flashing his signature crooked smile—one that always made him looked like Elvis Presley—then he went back to his meal and TV show.

Noctis snorted behind Gladiolus' back. As if anyone would take him seriously. He was eating that friggin _alphabet cereal _in his _favorite _floral-painted pink bowl. How many grown men ate alphabet cereal in floral-painted pink bowl every damn morning?

"OMG, our Noctis will turn twenty!" Stella squealed and tackled him into a bear hug. "You just leave it to Stella, okay? I know people who can provide us the best venue, food, booze, music and whatever entertainment you want—you just name it—_for free_! We'll have the best birthday party for you, Nocty~"

He kept Stella at arms length and stared her in the eyes. The blonde girl didn't falter in the slightest, she just kept grinning brightly at him. He sighed quietly, defeated. When the party queen said they were going to have a party, then _they were going to have a party_. Period.

Ignis would not say a thing, so he turned to his right. He met Lightning's blue eyes.

"Twenty, huh? _How long_ have I known you again?" She asked with a smirk.

Noctis smirked back. "Way too long. Why? You wanna talk about those good 'ol days where you always cried when I left you alone to play with the boys?"

Lightning bumped his shoulder purposely as she leaned over to take the remote from the coffee table. "You ass-CHEEKS!" She grumbled, changing the channel to a morning talk show.

Noctis chuckled, amused. He looked over to the blonde duo. Prompto and Stella were already busy making plans for his birthday – which was still a freaking month away. Not that they cared, of course.

He sighed, taking someone's cup of coffee from the table, and drank it down.

"Light, sweet pie, don't change the channel. C'mon, get it back. She's cooking Paris–Breasts." Gladiolus protested.

"It's Paris–_Brest_." Lightning retorted. "See, that just proves you're only watching her boobs, not her cooking. You perv."

The burly man dared to look smug. "Duh. I was just appreciating her."

Lightning snorted in an unladylike fashion. "Like hell you are. Just be quiet there. I rule the TV today, so we'll watch—"

"Strippers?!" Stella screeched suddenly from his left. "No—never! There'll be no strippers in Noctis' birthday party. Over my dead body!"

Prompto looked offended. "Geez, you make it sound like I was suggesting them for a seven-year-old's birthday party." He smiled slyly then. "Calm down, woman. It's just an idea. I can hope, can't I?"

Noctis snickered behind his cup as his friends bantered back and forth. What a colorful morning.

Ignis chose that moment to get up from his seat. "I'm gonna make sandwich. You want one?" He offered him as he walked past the couch and went to the open space kitchen behind them.

"Yes, please." He answered, looking over his shoulder.

The room was filled with chatters and laughter from the TV and his friends, the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted in the air along with the sound of kitchen activity from Ignis.

He spoke again when it was quiet enough. "But, you know, it's rather scary. I'm turning twenty."

His friends gave him their full attention. Looking at their face, he knew that they were _listening_, and suddenly it was so easy to let his feelings out. He started again.

"_Twenty _— and I'm still like this; just a poor college student. There's an unfinished six pages essay and other assignments waiting on my desk, my wages from part-time job goes mostly for the bills, I have but a little savings, while out there — many people my age, or even younger, already doing and achieving so much, making millions of dollars, traveling and seeing the world.

"It's a bit depressing, but above all, these responsibilities, expectations, possibilities, uncertainties… I think there's a part of me that isn't quite ready to grow up yet. And sometimes I feel like everything's just moving too fast and I can't keep up; like I'm falling behind. I'm not sure what I really want yet. I fear of choosing the wrong path, being a failure… Disappointing my parents, and – just –"

He trailed off, unable to continue. "Shit, this is sucks." He groaned low, burying himself deeper into the couch.

A plate of sandwich filled his vision suddenly. He took it languidly, glancing up at Ignis who was looking down at him from his standing position behind the couch.

"Don't take your thoughts too seriously. They'll fuck you up." The bespectacled man said simply before he claimed his previous seat and proceeded to enjoy his breakfast.

Noctis sighed miserably, a deep furrow twisted his brows.

Stella rubbed his arm in comforting manner. "It's sucks because you're trapping yourself inside your head, Noct. Everything's going well now, aren't they? You're just worrying too much."

"A little correction." Prompto added smugly. "You're a poor college student — with no girlfriend."

He threw a cushion at the blonde's face, but he caught it easily before it hit home.

Prompto shook his head, slightly baffled. "But seriously, Noct. Why are you torturing yourself with these thoughts? Newton there was right," he tilted his head to Ignis' way. "Just move, man; _do_ things, less thinking. Being an adult doesn't mean the fun is gone. See the bright side; we have power, freedom, opportunities, and control over our life that otherwise we couldn't ever get when we're still teenagers. Well of course there's worries and anxiety, but don't let them cripple you. Have a little faith in yourself; you do what you love, and fuck the rest."

The frown was slowly melting from Noctis' face as he absorbed what Prompto had said.

Gladiolus cleared his throat, setting his posture straight. "We can't quite see what the future holds, but as the days go by it will tell itself. So throw your worries away, and just live in the moment. Shape your future by living each day to the fullest and get the most out of it. Enjoy and appreciate what is beautiful and what you love. Happiness is everywhere; you just need to keep your eyes, heart, and mind open, my friend."

Noctis shook his head. He couldn't remember the last time he heard these usually silly guys saying such wise things. He was quite impressed.

"That's good shit, man. Was it that alphabet cereal you ate everyday?" Prompto questioned, amazed.

Gladiolus grinned. "Nope. I heard them from a TV show last night. Pretty, aren't they? Hahaha."

Two cushions flew in the air and smacked him square in the face.

Noctis chuckled, leaving Gladiolus to be "bullied" by Prompto and Stella. He turned to his right, looking at Lightning with quirked brows, waiting for her to say something.

She watched him in silence. There was that look on her face that she usually wore when she was admiring something, and he wondered what went through her mind.

Suddenly Lightning smiled, and enveloped him in an embrace. "I'm _here_."

The simple but meaningful word _snapped_ him – so much so that his arms moved on themselves around her, pulling her closer toward his chest, pressing her tight as if he was afraid she would vanish any second now.

Because — she did. Lightning was _here_; she always had been. They had gone through too many things together. She was a big part of his life, and he was grateful to have her.

She rested her chin atop his shoulder. "Don't become like that many people you mentioned. Just be yourself. That's all you ever need and have to do."

Noctis closed his eyes, breathing her sweet scent in. "You'll always be _here_ for me, right?" He mumbled gently.

Lightning pulled herself away, and he let her go, albeit reluctantly. "Don't be silly. _We _will always be here for you." She said with a bright smile.

He realized then that his other friends were watching them, with understanding smile on their face—_Ignis_ included—and he just couldn't hold it in even if he tried. He laughed; loud and free. He was feeling so much better and energized now.

"Thanks guys. You're really — _the best._" He expressed his sincere gratitude.

Stella gave him a quick hug. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"He needs more. Break the monotony, gain new inspirations, boost the spirits." Ignis said from across the room. He always preferred to stay quiet and listen to people most of the time, so when he decided to talk, everyone automatically gave him their full attention. And that was what happened now. "All of you, get dressed up. We'll go outside, do something—anything—that we haven't done together for a long time."

Everyone was looking at Ignis in stunned silence, still rooted in their sitting spot.

The bespectacled brunette rolled his eyes. "Don't fucking worry. I'll pay for everything, so move your assess."

Noctis chuckled in his seat as his friends sprang to their feet and ran into their respectful bedrooms with joyful cries of yay's.

He stood from the couch, looking at Ignis. "Guess I'll go and get ready too. Thanks, man."

"Don't mention it. But – I kind of curious," Ignis met his eyes, smirking. "How do you think Lightning will handle her twentieth birthday next year?"

A wide grin broke across Noctis' face.

"She'll be okay. Because—"

The girl in question stood at the top of the staircase; dressed up in light blue sundress and high top Converse. As she descended down the stairs, she beamed at him, and he smirked in return.

"—We will be there for her."

**::**

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_Disclaimer: I disclaim~_  
_Unbeta'ed._

…

_Ne, I've decided to make this one-shot into a multi-chapter story. ^^ So, I'll see you guys again 'later'. Thank you for reading~ _｡◕‿‿◕｡

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Just spreading a little love; if you haven't done so already, check out The Neighbourhood. They're a "new" band from California. Their music is simply great – it's easy to love them, really. ^^  
And the lead singer's voice, Jesse, is amazing ^o^ (distantly reminds me of Lauri Ylönen of The Rasmus xD). Maybe you want to start with Sweater Weather. ^^


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